Chromium in Food and Supplements: The Complete Guide!

Chromium is an important trace element essential for the normal metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

It also plays a role in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. In this article, we'll explore the versatile trace element chromium in detail.

Chromium is a mineral that has recently been added to the list of essential trace elements.

It was only at the beginning of this millennium that it became known that chromium plays a role in the function of insulin and the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.

It is found in vegetables, fruits, whole grain products, and to a lesser extent in fish, meat and dairy products.

Chromium is a trace element. This means you only need very small amounts of it. It's also an essential mineral . This means your body can't produce it on its own, so you must get it through your diet.

It's quite possible you haven't heard of chromium before. Scientists themselves haven't known about chromium's health benefits for very long.

The research is still in its infancy:

1. 1950s/1960s - Chromium is found to play a role in carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
2. 1980 - Partly due to research into its effects on insulin action and glucose metabolism, chromium was generally accepted as an essential micronutrient in the United States around 1980. However, it took longer for chromium to be officially recognized as an essential trace element in the Netherlands and Europe.
3. 2010/2014 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) indicates that there was insufficient evidence to establish a dietary recommendation for chromium . [1]

Extensive research is being conducted into the health effects of chromium.

So far there is scientific evidence that:

• Chromium helps keep blood sugar levels normal
• Chromium contributes to energy metabolism
• Chromium contributes to normal carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism

The form of chromium found in foods and supplements is called trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) . This form is considered the safe and biologically active form of chromium.

In supplements, trivalent chromium is combined with an acid, creating compounds that each have unique properties.

The European Commission has concluded that a recommended dietary allowance of chromium cannot be established due to insufficient evidence for its essential role in nutrition. ^[5]

To get an idea:

In the United States, they have established an RI. For adult men, they recommend 35 mcg per day. For women, it's 25 mcg. ^[6]

If you eat a healthy and varied diet, you're less likely to develop a chromium deficiency, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). There are no official symptoms of a chromium deficiency.

Moreover, your body can effectively regulate the absorption and storage of chromium. This means that even with a few days of reduced or no chromium intake, your body can still draw some from its stores.

However, there are a number of known cases where patients received intravenous nutrition with insufficient chromium or where chromium was accidentally removed from the intravenous nutrition.

Based on what these patients experienced, we can get an idea of ​​what the symptoms of a chromium deficiency could be:

1. Elevated levels of fatty acids
2. Problems with energy management
3. Changes in glucose processing
4. Low blood sugar levels
5. Increased sensitivity to stimuli
6. Muscle weakness ^[7]

It's not yet easy to detect a chromium deficiency . This is because the mineral is stored in many different parts of the body, and only a small portion of the chromium circulates freely in the blood. Therefore, a blood test doesn't tell you much about your chromium status.

There are no known effects of a high dietary intake of chromium. Chromium naturally occurs only in relatively small amounts.

Furthermore, very little chromium is absorbed by our bodies! Depending on the composition of your meal, only 0.4 to 2.5% is absorbed. ^[9]

If you take too high a dose of chromium supplements for an extended period of time, you may get more chromium than you need.

It is known that a daily intake of 1 milligram (1000 mcg) of chromium has no harmful effects on health.

If you take more than that daily, you may experience the following symptoms:

1. Stomach and intestinal complaints - Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps
2. Skin problems - Skin rash or dermatitis
3. Neurological symptoms - Dizziness, headache and weakness
4. Cardiovascular problems - Increased or irregular heart rate
5. Liver - and kidney problems : Liver disorders and kidney failure
6. Bleeding disorders - Anemia and low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) ^[10]

Do you recognize these symptoms? Then it's wise to stop taking the chromium tablets immediately or significantly reduce them.

Chromium supplements are harmless, as long as you don't take too much (as is the case with everything).

A daily intake of 1 milligram of chromium has no harmful effects on health.

Do you belong to one of the following groups? Then it's wise to consult your doctor or health care professional before starting chromium supplements:

• In case of liver or kidney disease - Because chromium is broken down and excreted by the liver and kidneys, an abnormality in these organs can prevent all excess chromium from leaving your body. This increases the risk of storing more chromium in your cells than is beneficial.
• When taking insulin or blood sugar-lowering medications - Chromium can lower blood sugar levels, and when combined with insulin or other blood sugar-lowering medications, this effect can be amplified. This can lead to blood sugar levels that are too low, which can be dangerous.

Chromium is widely used in weight management supplements. It's beneficial for balancing blood sugar levels.

A balanced blood sugar level can help you maintain a healthy appetite without overindulging.

I wouldn't necessarily say that chromium is a slimming aid, but rather an aid in keeping your appetite healthy - which is of course very pleasant when losing weight.

Choose supplements that are produced according to the guidelines of recognized bodies such as the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) or comparable European standards, which guarantee safety and quality.

Check the label to ensure the supplement lists the correct form and amount of chromium , such as chromium picolinate, and that the dosage is clearly stated according to European guidelines.

Research the brand's reputation by reading reviews and looking at the experiences of other users in the Netherlands. A brand with positive feedback and a good reputation is often more reliable.

With continued research into the health benefits of chromium, recent studies show that chromium supplements such as chromium picolinate are good for blood sugar levels.

Would you like to know more about our own chromium supplements that contribute to this?

Sources

1. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). (2014). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values ​​for chromium. EFSA Journal, 12(10): 3845. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3845 https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3845 .
2. Bawiec, P.; Sawicki, J.; Łasińska-Pracuta, P.; Czop, M.; Sowa, I.; Helon, P.; Pietrzak, K.; Koch, W. In Vitro Evaluation of Bioavailability of Cr from Daily Food Rations and Dietary Supplements from the Polish Market. Nutrients (2024), 16(7), 1022. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16071022
3. Golubnitschaja, O., & Yeghiazaryan, K. (2012). Opinion controversy to chromium picolinate therapy's safety and efficacy: ignoring 'anecdotes' of case reports or recognizing individual risks and new guidelines urgency to introduce innovation by predictive diagnostics? EPMA Journal, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3515400/
4. Robert A. DiSilvestro, Emily Dy,Comparison of acute absorption of commercially available chromium supplements, Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, Volume 21, Issue 2 (2007) Pages 120-124, ISSN 0946-672X. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0946672X07000077
5. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). (2014). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values ​​for chromium. EFSA Journal, 12(10): 3845. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3845 https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3845
6. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Chromium-HealthProfessional/
7. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). (2014). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values ​​for chromium. EFSA Journal, 12(10): 3845. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3845 https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3845 .
8.  Food Composition and Nutrition Tables, 7th revised and completed edition, Ed. SW Souci, W Fachmann, H Kraut.Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Stuttgart, 2008.
9.  EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). (2014). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values ​​for chromium. EFSA Journal, 12(10): 3845. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3845 https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3845 .
10. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements: “Chromium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.” https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Chromium-HealthProfessional/